Shot Gun Love
by Zana An
Summary: A nobody Breloom has no luck in life and a rich rock-star Gardevoir that seems to have everything come face to face in a struggle for her freedom. Can he be the Valentine she needs him to be or will he meet his demise?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. This applies to this chapter and all consequent chapters that will follow.

Cameo role character 'Glacie' has been used with consent of the author, who appears in later chapters.

Warning the story will contain violence, and bad language.

**Shot Gun Love**

_**Chapter 1**_

"**Love sought is good, but given unsought is better" - Shakespeare**

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1924hrs, 11 February 2010, Thursday

A huge gathering was amassing before the Blackthorn Palace Theatre, what famous artists considered the Hall of Dreams, the stage of many legendary performances. Hordes of Pokemon and humans wearing their fan shirts adorned with pictures of rock artists, some desperate to get into the concert in hopes of obtaining last minute cancellation tickets or to just crash in without paying. The concert was scheduled to start and the stage was set for what was expected to be Amirtha's performance of a lifetime.

"Hey Dimi, are the sound and light effects set?" The Gardevoir asked, with what she called pre-concert-jitters.

"Yeah, don't worry, they're all set."

The Breloom gazed at her, thinking how wonderful she looked, with that deep mascara and eyeliner. Her costume was custom tailored to nicely reveal her cleavage, her chest partially exposed down the front in a V slit black corset and long black skirt, silver bucklers running down the side, as she held onto her sacred Gibson SG guitar.

He had never worked with Amirtha before, though he had heard a great deal of her, and he was set to travel with her over her first ever Johto tour. This would be another experience to add to his resume. Apart from a reasonably good pay, being a technician allowed him opportunities to travel that he otherwise never would have had, and he had been lucky to have landed this job in the first place.

The Gardevoir sighed, feeling the butterflies fluttering in the pits of her stomach. This wasn't her first performance by far but never had she performed to an audience this magnitude. It was an overwhelming turnout, over a hundred and fifty thousand fans packed into the concert hall, and she had thought the Palace Theatre was huge enough. Dimitri walked up to her, nervously, as she could sense with her psychic abilities. Amirtha was so flustered in her own anxiety she failed to notice that he was nervous gazing at her, not worrying about the concert.

Dimitri laid his red claws on Amirtha's arm and looked up at her, being shorter than her by a good foot.

"You're looking amazing, Miss Amirtha. Everyone is here to see you. I'm sure you'll be a knockout." There was a brief deliberation in his voice, a little awestruck how she looked this close up and personal, and her perfume smelled divine even.

The words gently gave her the nudge she needed, that she had been going on about it the wrong way. She had gone out on stage for countless concerts and every time she did the audience loved her, so why should it be any different this time?

"You're absolutely right, Dimi. And quit calling me Miss Amirtha … damn, you're so formal, just call me Ami or something." She smiled with those dark lips and leaned forward, gently placing a kiss to his forehead, followed by a giggle. "I just sensed your heart rate jump past a hundred fifty."

Dimitri was fully surprised and couldn't hide his discomfort from her, but she didn't seem to mind. Perhaps she had gotten used to the feeling she would sense a lot in her fans. He had never listened to her songs, Metal and Rock wasn't his preference in music, but this would be a first. He thought this would be just like any other and he wouldn't enjoy all the damn noise. But the job was as good as any other.

Amirtha descended down the stairs, her long dress trailing behind her, like it was gliding over a sheet of ice, her slender legs revealed as her dress split down the centre. He couldn't help but think of her as one of the most beautiful creatures heaven had ever sent to grace into his life, but under her fame and success a guy like him could only dream of, she was normal like any other, and not in the least like the other egotistic artists he had worked with, all who lacked the kindness and gentleness she had.

1946hrs, 11 February 2010, Thursday

Ami took a deep breath as her feet tapped upon the rising platform concealed beneath the stage. She heard the intro of her song kicking in as Gary slammed into his drums and Steph the base liner hit those strings with her slap base style. The platform steadily ascended as she felt the surge of adrenalin flooding through her body. How many times had she fantasized singing right here, in the Hall of Dreams, since she had released her first album?

She could hear the roar of the crowd now, her excitement shot and the momentary fear turned to an everlasting gaze into the mass, feeling breathless just looking. The atmosphere rapturous as crazed fans chanted her name, coming into her line of sight as cheers erupted. Fireworks burst from the platform, strobe lights flashed before her form, and large explosions blew behind her.

"Hello guys! Thank you for coming out! Are you ready for some hot riffs and licks?" The crowd screamed even louder, and she didn't need her psychic abilities to know what more than half of them were thinking of. She knew this kind of thing was cliched beyond cliche, but fans seemed to respond to this kind of banter rather well.

"Now anyone who has a guitar will love a different string, and you know what my favourite is right? … What was that? … You don't? Well let's see!" She turned sideways, pulling back her dress from the slit to show off the side of her underwear. "Yes! It's the G-string! And now we're going to kick off this concert with this song from our second album! It's called the Hollow Riddle!"

There was another uproar of the crowd, and Ami began humming into the mike mounted to her headset. She let her dress fall back into place, then broke out into singing, her voice sweet and loud, but a subsistence of sadness mingled within it as the words came with a thickness of emotions. She hammered down on the strings of her guitar, projecting the strums through the depths of the crowd.

"It crackles, shatters and breaks, into pieces inside of me

It's clear, transparent like a room void of all sounds

A sea of priests to shroud my bitterness

The falling leaves to hide my loneliness

Nothing evermore so elegant as solitude

Only contemplative words to grant insecurity

And it feels like desperation striking me down

And it's cold like god's wrath upon the silent

And I voice myself and it echoes in here

Bounces off the walls and resonates in my ears

One day I shall grasp the hollow riddle that has forgone my sight

To the appeasing salvation that I might find"

The Breloom felt breathless. He had always disliked this kind of music, but her voice gave it something in which he adored, with the pitches she was hitting it wasn't surprising why she was so loved, they were far beyond most vocalists' range. It was unlike anything he had heard before, and yet, he felt pain in them as if her truth was embedded within those words. The sounds that came from her were by far the most enchanting he had ever heard. If there were such a thing as falling in love with someone's voice this would be it. She moved him like no other singer had ever before. He could feel her powerful presence electrifying the crowd, it was heart rendering, and the reception of her performance was enormous. Screams and thousands upon thousands singing along, her own body infused with her psychic powers, as trails of pink energy blistered away, arcing from her skin, amplifying her dominance of the stage in visual splendour. It didn't take him long to realise that at that moment he had entered the realms of her fandom.

The Breloom watched her on stage song after song, as her green hair swished in sleek momentum back and forth, backed by the exotic motions of her body in sync with the rhythm. She was an A-list performer without doubt, that was a given.

Dimitri had noted one thing, that her personality was a complete contradiction to what it was off stage, as if it was a mere mask to give everyone what they wanted. Out there she literally exuded confidence. It still puzzled him that this was the same person who had gotten what she called pre-concert-jitters earlier.

2107hrs, 11 February 2010, Thursday

There was a small commotion by the side of the stage near Dimitri. A couple of guys just behind Dimitri, the sound technician, Marcel the Zubat and the stage coordinator, Jason the Scyther, were talking loudly so they could hear each other even over the sounds of the music. At first there was nothing to be really bothered about until Dimi overheard their words.

"Damn, I would love to ram into that fucking dirt box. Her ass looks so tight." The Scyther said provocatively.

"Yeah, I know what ya mean. I wanna hammer her till she screams my name. Oooh, Marcel, give me a cream pie. Hahahaha!"

"Listen. Keep your filthy talk to yourselves, she's not a slut. She deserves better."

The two pokemon stopped, looking at the Breloom, he had definitely caught their attention, and they began laughing pretty much in mockery.

"Better? What do mean?" Jason said. "A box headed shit freak like you? Have you looked in the mirror lately? Do you reckon half a piece of ugly crap will ever stand a chance getting with her? Don't play hero kid."

Dimitri felt the words impact him with a force of bulldozer, and yes, there was an attraction he felt towards her, and maybe that was why he actually interrupted. He did want to protect her honour, but there was something else, he felt she was genuinely worth more than the degrading comments they were making, even if he wasn't fit to be anything beyond that.

"Shut your mouth. And you respect her or I will shu …"

Dimitri had no time to finish his sentence. His eyes suddenly wavered as water rose from his guts to spurt from his mouth, what felt like a powerful strike to his abdomen from the blunt of a blade. It was the Scyther's arm, and he had no chance in hell to avoid it. The force holstered him off his feet and he came crashing down to the ground as pain spread throughout his mid section, gasping completely winded. There was a female cry coming from the stage.

"Leave him alone! Get away from him!" The two pokemon backed apprehensively away from Dimitri, transfixed in a fear of the approaching person. It was Ami, and even though she wasn't a physical fighter she still packed an enormous psychic punch with her abilities.

"Let's go. He's not worth our time, but he's as good as dead." Marcel snarled as he trotted backwards with his colleague till he was out of sight.

Ami put on her stern look to greet the Breloom's unfitting state. For some reason she seemed very pissed at him while he lay in pain.

"I heard what they said when I was coming off stage, and you don't have to defend my honour or something stupid like that. Are you some kind of idiot? There were two of them and both almost twice your size. Next time when you think about stepping in and being a macho hero, just don't!" The Gardevoir's voice strained a little, and Dimitri was completely taken off guard by her reaction.

"But I only …" He was cut short as the Gardevoir interjected.

"But what? Listen. I know you're only trying to help, but getting beaten up won't do you any good. They can talk all they want, but it's only talk at the end of the day. Now I have to straighten this out. It's your first day so I'll cut you some slack and have a word with my boss not to fire your arse. Or worse, stick you in a body bag. Those two are probably reporting you right now."

Breloom looked down in shame. What exactly did she mean by body bag? It seemed doing the right thing was doing the wrong thing. Was there a chance that she actually liked being spoken to like that, and maybe enjoy it? He felt a harsh slap across his face followed by a stinging throb.

"Don't you dare think of me like that. I … I … I'm not that kind of person." She stuttered in a half shocked reply. She was disappointed he would think of her like that.

No further words were exchanged as he struggled onto his feet. He knew it would be awkward working here from now. He felt remorse for his thoughts, and somewhat disgusted in himself for assuming for a moment she was into being talked to like that. There was so much more to her than the pretty face before him. He came to a decision to hand in his resignation, he had made enemies of the co-workers and upset Ami, working under these conditions would be difficult at best.

He began to walk away holding his head low and bracing his leaf like arms across his still aching stomach, and heard Ami's voice.

"Wait."

He turned around to face her, expecting more scorn at his earlier stupidity.

"It doesn't mean I hate you for it, and it doesn't mean you quit the job … Thank you for what you did back there … One more thing. Did you think I was, err, too smutty on stage? I felt awkward showing my lingerie, did you think I was a slut out there too?"

"No … it was just part of the show." Dimitri said.

"Just checking." She replied, sensing he was sincere. Dimitri could hear the insecurity in her voice, and he could tell there was something fragile about her unlike the others.

Maybe he could still be friends with her after all, he accepted that there was no chance in hell getting with her but he preferred being her friend and offering her support anyway. She turned away, with smooth swings of her hips with every step.

2343hrs, 11 February 2010, Thursday

Dimitri lay with the comforts of a bed, staring up at the hotel room ceiling. Half a bottle of bourbon whisky rested on the white tablecloth on the bedside table, and an empty glass in his claw. He couldn't get her voice out of his head. The songs played on repeat within his mind, the words and every decibel that was projected from her vocals etched deep within his perception of the concert.

There was a momentary sigh, partially understanding, but a guy could still dream right? He closed his eyes to imagine her on stage once more, recounting her steps and motions that followed in the flawless rhythm of her voice. He fell asleep shortly after in Ami's beautiful melodies that played his brain on repeat.

0756hrs, 12 February 2010, Friday

The coach had set off while he sat the middle seat towards the front. He liked the view close to the window, catching glimpses of the serene views of the beautiful pastures and mountains that often accompanied his travel. It wasn't the most fantastic scenery but it made for a peaceful sight to dwell in his thoughts, and possibly daydreams.

Ami travelled separately like all the artists he had previously toured with. He felt excited like a school boy to see her perform again and had that giddy rush of what he would associate with as teen hormonal anguish, but it felt good this time rather than what he had felt a few years ago when he had gone through his adolescence.

He wondered if life would have held a new turn should he have taken an offer he had a while back. There was no doubt he was capable of far better usage of the talents he possessed but he wasn't physically experienced as a fighter. He used to provide equipment for the specialists, but it was never his intention of becoming a hired hand. There were instances he had claimed a life or two when he had been taken hostage, but he found it distasteful and distanced himself from being proclaimed by a life that would constantly require him to look over his shoulder. This was probably the better course in life for him, a simple technician.

There was something that really bugged him and that was one of the things that Ami had said the previous night. She had mentioned something along the lines of him ending up in a body bag. He knew Records had a silent partner that owned 60% of the company but he had never really given it much thought. Was this some inconspicuous puppet master that pulled everyone's strings from the shadows, an underworld figure that used Ami to conceal illegal activities? Dimitri realized he was analysing Ami's words a little too closely and it probably was nothing.

1719hrs, 12 February 2010, Friday

Everything had been unpacked from the coaches and the equipment had been arranged on stage. Dimitri looked around the stage for the concert, it was by far smaller than the one they were at last night, but it cried architectural beauty and a vintage classical design. It had retained most of its authenticity from back when it was built 200 years ago as an opera house. There were only a few contemporary changes that held any connection to modern intervention.

The Golden Opera of Goldenrod was one of the most elegant and finest buildings to date, regardless of its age, it symbolised many things, and held many other statues and architectural feats, manually painted ceilings and carved pillars to name a few. It was well maintained and this was one of the few concert halls that was a private theatre, meaning only a select range of various celebrities and government officials and other political figures could be invited to this theatre.

Dimitri got to work along with a small team of technicians as he set the sound equipment up, making sure there were no loose connections and double checking his work to be certain it was all secured and connected correctly. The task at times might have seemed a simple one but each theatre presented its own challenges and not everything would be set up the same. Arranging the visual effects was out of his responsibilities but still he set up a lot of the lights. He worked diligently looking into the rows of empty seats and balconies where the top figureheads would be and visualising how to arrange the raw stylised effects from an angle even they will be able to appreciate. A lot of the last effects were thanks to his improvised ingenuity, regardless if he got the praise or not, it didn't concern him as long as he did his job.

1842hrs, 12 February 2010, Friday

A short finger tapped upon Dimitri's shoulder, whilst kneeling and hooking the final cable up, his mind diverted from the task at hand to whom had tapped him, and his head took a casual turn to face the person who wanted his attention. In that moment he felt a harsh blow to his chin that shook his brain like a tremor, catapulting his body like a hammered nail to the ground. Dimitri shook his head as he rolled in the presence of the creature who had struck him, its bat shadow dwarfed Dimitri's body as he peered up at the hostile figure, realising it was Marcel.

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_**Ending Notes**_ - Thanks for reading this, and there's lots of action and romance to come! Please leave feedback and comments, all are welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**Shot Gun Love**

**Chapter 2**

**_~The Strings That Strum Us~ _**

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"You little Fungus, that's for yesterday. Remember one thing. You work for us and not the other way around. That little bitch Ami saved your ass and even went as far out of her way as to beg and grovel for your life. So do yourself a favour and keep your mouth shut, or next time you'll be fed to some starved Swinubs the boss uses to dispose of bodies."

Dimitri was stunned at the violence that this Zubat possessed, and he felt some shame within himself knowing he didn't want to cause any trouble for Ami. He felt disgusted with himself being a Breloom and being unable to fight like one, it was a huge down factor. He kept his composure and repressed himself, and if he did retaliate he probably wouldn't have won anyhow.

"If you don't want trouble then stay out of our way. What we talk about is none of your business. It doesn't concern you. If you step out of your line again I swear, neither you, nor Ami, will stop me from killing you." Marcel looked down at Dimitri as he waved his finger.

Marcel spat on Dimitri before walking away. Dimitri staggered up knowing he should just finish the task and stay quiet, but could he really do this? Was it really in him to stay shut up whilst shitheads like Marcel and Jason said whatever they wanted and acted like such imperious assholes? Even though these guys were bastards he knew they weren't criminals. Killing them would just land him in jail.

For a moment a thought strayed from his former occupation, how he wished them to be on the blacklist with four digits hanging over their heads. No mercy for the enemy, no remorse for the dying, if they were wanted, just put a bullet to their heads. That was their way and what had once been his way as well.

Dimitri's chin throbbed and he thought he could use an ice pack right about now. He attached the final cable, finishing the task he was doing before he was interrupted. He rose up to his feet, he felt sadness and disappointment why this was happening, but this was no reason to quit just because he had been punched twice already, he had seen worse days. He turned around and stopped immediately, almost running into Ami. Dimitri gave a small start and he was startled for a moment, she had popped up from nowhere or maybe he had just been too distracted to notice she was walking this way.

"Ami? You scared me there. Haha, I didn't expect to see you here before the show."

There was a little laugh that blossomed from her mouth.

"Hehe, I sometimes come out to stage before a show. It just helps me get a feel of things, familiarise myself so I don't feel so alienated. It's just so I can feel a little more acquainted with the stage." She let her gaze wonder and explore, her eyes examining every detail and even the floor boards on which she stood.

Dimitri knew he should thank her, her boss seemed a psycho and he was indebted to her for saving his life. He wasn't sure who this secret boss was but his boss was Davis, a human. Davis was way too kind and by no means malicious or otherwise, but it seemed something was way off and there was another hand at work here. Wasn't Davis the owner of Records? Maybe it was time to meet up with Davis, he would be attending tonight and possibly clear up a few questions, and a formal complaint against Marcel and Jason might help keep them in check.

"Ouch, what happened to your face?" Ami stared at the swollen chin with worry.

"I had a slight trip, but it's okay now. It doesn't hurt at all." Dimitri replied, wanting to let it slide, but Ami prodded Dimitri with her finger to challenge his statement, and he whipped his head away with a small yelp.

"Now that doesn't sound like it doesn't hurt at all, does it?" She seemed almost playful with her actions. "There's some ice in the back and a med kit. It looks a little grazed, but let's take care of it shall we?"

Ami reached out, taking him by the hand, Dimi felt a little embarrassed but didn't object. He had to admit he was still surprised this was a famous rock artist. She was so different that he couldn't begin to explain the way she was. There was much more a gentle friend and it seemed the limelight hadn't taken a toll on her personality. Everything felt special about her, and he couldn't tell what it was, but her actions as she led him hand in hand were sincere. Though there was no romantic involvement, he felt it was close.

"I just read that … that's really sweet but I'm not inclined that way. I'm just helping you sort your face out." Ami glanced over. He knew that there was still something off, sometimes she read his mind with the clarity of day light and other times she was unable to pick up on his thoughts at all. Was this stress of exposure? Or maybe it was this mysterious boss?

1855hrs, 12 February 2010, Friday

The Breloom sat on a mahogany stool as Ami tended to him. The room to which she had led him was calming with a dim lighting and carried a cosy feeling that felt rather snug. He glanced around, seeing various clothing on the racks, Ami's clothes to be exact. He realised this was her private changing room.

"Hey, aren't you going to get ready for your performance tonight?"

She seemed to have already gotten her makeup sorted, but have yet to select the outfit she would wear. The coldest sensation came to rest on his chin as she instructed him. "Okay, just hold it there a moment. Don't worry, I only need a dress, but my boss wants me to wear one of these three. I feel a little uncomfortable but I should be fine after a couple of songs."

Dimitri held the tea cloth wrapping the ice to his chin. He didn't understand why she didn't wear what she wanted.

"As per your thought, the boss decides what I wear. And I just read what happened earlier. I'm glad you were thinking of me when you chose not to retaliate. I don't think I could have saved your life a second time. You should stay clear of Marcel and Jason."

It seemed she knew what had happened earlier after all. He was happy he had made the right choice, but why was she being so kind to him? She hardly knew him.

"Haha, I don't know. I guess it's just the right thing to do. Wouldn't you help another?"

Dimitri had his thoughts answered, and yes, he believed he would have done the same. Do unto others what you want others to do unto you. It was a good rule to follow but one last thing bugged him, she had saved his life? But what had happened?

"Ami, I'm sincerely sorry to have caused you so much trouble. What happened last night when you went to the boss, is Davis that bad?"

Ami stared at Dimitri with a look of dilemma on her face. Maybe it was in the interest of his safety. If he understood the possible danger he might place himself in, he would be more cautious around here. She decided to take the plunge.

"Davis isn't the sole owner of Record. He's just a figurehead. The one who pulls his strings as well as mine is another pokemon. His name is Durai, well built and stocky. He's a Rhyperior. And he's actually got a huge bounty." Ami took a deep breath. The Breloom was listening with pure interest. "He's extremely dangerous, and not even his own men are safe. If they fail a task he wouldn't think twice about killing them. The Records is just a cover up so he can draw income and lay low while he dispatches enemies from the shadows."

She stopped again to evaluate Dimitri's thoughts, and sensed there was no fear but only concern for her safety. Ami let a gentle smile grace her lips to assure him that she would be alright.

"Don't worry about me. I'm in no danger as long as I do what I have to. Most of the money he's making comes from me, and he's not going to kill me. Davis didn't have enough money to fund Records, so Durai approached him with a proposition and promised to back him with large sums of money acquired through drug trafficking and money laundering. He also promised Davis a new rock sensation that will elevate Records, provided Davis sold him 60% of the business. Davis was resistant at first but soon found he wasn't in any position to negotiate. A no meant a bullet to the head."

"When I was sixteen my father borrowed money from Durai. I saw him for the first time when he came to my father's shop. He told my father it was time to pay up. My father had the money to pay him, but there was something off. My father could sign his name but that's all he could do, he couldn't read and my grandmother never taught him." A tear slid down her face as she spoke, Dimitri knew something bad had happened.

"The bastard had written into the original contract the interest of 300%, not the 3% he had initially agreed. There was no way my father could pay such a large sum. Durai insisted that he should have read the contract before signing, knowing my father couldn't read. Originally he got his men to read only the terms to my father, ignoring the interest entirely."

Dimitri slowly swirled his tail around, raising it to her face to gently wipe her tears, as she stood there recounting her traumatic past. He still wasn't certain why she was choosing to disclose such sensitive history to him, but letting her finish would ease her pain a little, and he wanted to know now.

"Durai then told my father he would kill me and that would settle the score. My father was stunned and began begging for my life. I screamed. That was when Durai changed his mind. He said he wanted me. It was simple as he put it, give me the girl or I will kill her. The Rhyperior laughed at my father and said he would even pay him a little. I was sold, and that was five years ago."

It was horrible how anyone could be treated as an object and even sold. He had no idea she was living a nightmare, not the stardom he had imagined, and was more worried about her than ever. Dimitri felt he wanted to take her away from this pain and suffering, he wanted her to be free and not a thing for this asshole.

"Did he ever?" Dimitri asked cautiously, not wanting to pry, but almost needing to know if he had ever done anything inappropriate to her. Ami's heart was pacing fast, this was a hard question to answer but she would, after all she had already told him everything else.

"Yes. The night he bought me. At first it hurt, but when he didn't stop I began getting use to it, and it stopped bothering me over time. Later he made me sleep with others, and tonight I'm supposed to be the plaything for the governor of Goldenrod city. Durai gets a lot of authorities off his hands if I sleep with the governor."

Dimitri felt sickened how anyone could use anyone else like this, how this Durai could just prostitute her. He was glad she opened up to him though, she looked like she needed a shoulder to cry on. Maybe the poor thing just had no one to share her burden with for so long and it just came out.

Ami drew her arms around Dimitri as her tears flowed freely.

"I'm sorry, I only wished to prevent you from doing something stupid and I ended up telling you this much. I bet you think I'm a whore now." She was too grieved by her own words to be able to read what Dimitri was thinking.

"I don't think you're a whore. Why don't you just run away?" He asked.

"I can't, I have to do this. I don't care if he kills me, but what if he kills my father?"

Dimitri couldn't reply. He had no other ideas, but he wanted to be here for her, to share her burden if she had no other. He stroked his tail up and down her back to comfort and sooth her the best he could.

1921hrs, 12 February 2010, Friday

There was a knock on the door as Ami pushed herself away, rubbing the tears from her face. The makeup crew had arrived to touch up her makeup, which was now a mess of black smudges on her face. Dimitri felt he was finally getting closer to her, and he wanted to become the friend that she needed.

"I guess I better get going, you'll need to get ready. Good luck with your performance." Dimitri said with a loving smile in a small attempt to uplift her mood.

"Thanks for listening, Dimi. Please, just don't get yourself hurt anymore"

After the heartbreaking chat with Ami, he knew there was no point in meeting up with Davis, there was probably nothing he could do. The poor sap was just as much a victim in this whole affair.

2005hrs, 12 February 2010, Friday

Waves of applause streaked across the red leathered chairs and balconies as the beauty of the limelight adjusted the mike to her chest height. So many people had been anticipating this concert, to hear her sing to the softer acoustics and other instrumentals in their original forms.

Ami let her hand glide along the neck of her guitar, descending into the minor chords as the sound of her music filled the hall of the old opera house. There was clapping to welcome her first song, and the cello soon joined, followed by the taps of the percussion instruments.

The crowd watched as she sat in her black silks with her hair tied in a small coil and half falling down the side of her face, her cheeks rosy and her eyes finished with eyeshade. She looked more elegant than she had the previous night, but there was something in her contrast of appearances that made her further enchanting, and even though she wasn't as revealing tonight, it didn't detract her appeal. In her long evening dress she looked wonderful.

She wore her smile to greet the audience but her eyes couldn't hide the emotional strife in which she was writhing. Her only escape seemed through her songs. The power of her vocals reached out to the adoring fans who were gathered tonight and even those at home, letting the riffs of her new songs fill the atmosphere.

"Thank you guys who came out tonight. This is a special song for you. It's new so you wouldn't have heard it before. It's called Gates to the Afterlife, and will be out on my new album that will be released next month. I hope you like it."

"It's a nice night to rise again

Where the air is chilled it bites

And the blood moon sits on a starlit raven sky

Slumped in spread clouds of azure and crimson light

So I choose to breath today the rotting and decay

On the voice of sorrow he hymns that call

It's the call of the dead and for me to awake

One last look and then impossible to evade

This is my lush graveyard

I ponder the world from here

Come and lie in my earth

I'll wait to cherish your embrace

This is my lush graveyard

This is my scarlet meadow

Forever binds me to the afterlife

One day to eternity and rest in peace

And it's a morgue of dead symphonies

The music plays no more to sooth

In the silent intermissions tears fall

Into the void of misconceiving we all go"

Once again enchantment overtook Dimitri. Her vocals echoed such diversity, it was an amazing display how a pokemon could captivate so many people. How he had managed to forgo such talent was through his own lack of appreciation in rock and metal, but he felt he had rectified that. Rock could be as beautiful as any other piece of well written music.

Dimitri stood to the corner of the stage, closing his eyes to let her voice echo to him. Once more it cast that magical pleasure that he had experienced the other night. Her song ended with a soft note, and the audience erupted into applause, as if any person whom her voice touched had miraculously converted into followers. Ami wasn't just a pretty face, she seemed to have it all on stage.

He just watched from the shadows. Maybe he wanted more for Ami, a better life. He knew the secret that none of her fans knew, the dark secret she had shared with him. He still didn't understand why she did choose to speak about such a thing, but it must have meant she had trust in him. Gardevoirs had good intuition and perception that went beyond the shell we all wore.

The night flowed without the slightest glitch, however Dimitri was deeply troubled for what she would be forced to do after the concert. He wished there was something he could do, but from where he stood he wasn't sure how he could do anything without putting her father in danger.

2217hrs, 12 February 2010, Friday

Every song brought applause and cries for encores, but the time came as she stood up, sliding her guitar to the side, and bowed to the crowd. It was a wonderful sight as flowers were thrown onto the stage.

Dimitri waited for her to appear backstage to congratulate her, but soon enough crew members were greeting and swarming about her. He paced down the dark corridor with small clacks of his heels on the marble floor. He wanted to wait till everyone was gone before he dismantled and unhooked the equipment. It was too noisy for him with so many backstage fans. Mostly this was down to being worried about Ami tonight.

He ended up walking around the corridors while he drifted, finally coming across a vacant chair in a quiet part of the opera house. There wasn't much to do but wait till he could start taking things apart. He sat down on one of the cushioned chairs that ran in a row down this particular corridor, his head hung low staring at the floor and lost in thoughts.

2234hrs, 12 February 2010, Friday

He felt a hand take hold of his shoulder and Dimitri's head cocked back, seeing Ami there. He wasn't sure how she had gotten there or how she had known he was here. He couldn't come up with anything to say, and he was glad she spoke first.

"Hey short stuff, no congrats?" She asked with that same smile she had gotten so used to hiding her emotions with.

"Hehe, I was going to but I just figured it probably would be the same as everyone else. But how did you find me?"

"I was expecting you to greet me more than anyone else to be honest. And it wasn't hard to find you, you were still in my radius, so I just filtered out your thoughts and followed them here."

"I feel so useless. Even though I know what's going to happen tonight I can't even do anything about it."

"You worry about me like you've known for me a long time, and I've never come across anyone else like you before. It's almost strange."

"How can you be so relaxed, when you know what's going to happen tonight? I would have done anything to prevent it, then you wouldn't have to go through this."

"Well, it's me not you, and you shouldn't worry about me getting hurt. I know you care about me, but you'll get used to it like I have. I don't like it and it makes me feel dirty, but there's nothing you or I can do to change it."

Ami leaned down to the Breloom and placed her lips to his, it came so abruptly that no one could have expected it, but she was actually kissing him.

His eyes closed, feeling like waves washing over him, a rush that made him feel light-headed, and if he hadn't already been sitting he would have fallen over. The tenderness of her lips pressed over his, and his heart began to beat so fast it was skipping beats. His excitement was rocketing with her tongue sliding between his lips.

Ami withdrew her lips, leaving Dimitri stunned and speechless, he could hardly comprehend what had happened. It wasn't just something he had imagined, she had really kissed him.

"That was the first time I've sensed such emotions coming from anyone I've kissed. You really are one of a kind, Dimi." Ami giggled, then resumed a serious tone. "I know you're scared for me, but just remember I'll be fine. And don't do anything stupid or reckless."

Dimi hung his head from her gaze, again unable to look at her. He felt completely hopeless as a Breloom. Her hand stroked along his chin, tilting his head to look at her.

"Would you mind accompanying me tomorrow? I'll be outside the hotel in the black limo, I'll roll the window down when I see you, and we can chat all the way to Violet City."

"That would be great." He didn't want her to go, but he knew she had to.

"So it's a date, see you tomorrow at 9!" Ami said with a cheery tone.

2357hrs, 12 February 2010, Friday

It had been a fairly easy day for him. Taking equipment apart was far easier then putting it together and he had finished in no time flat. He couldn't wait to kick his feet back and hit the sack. At least the hotel was fairly close, only two blocks away and he was already at the door. Dimitri flung back the door to the apartment that was strangely unlocked.

Something was off, because he could clearly remember himself locking the door when he left earlier today. Had Marcel or Jason come to do him over? It wouldn't surprise him if they had. Dimitri reached down to the clasps of his tool kit and took out a large wrench. It wasn't a good weapon but it was the only thing he had. Dimitri listened for the slightest sounds, and there were gulping sounds. He reached out to his left while raising his wrench to take out this intruder, and he darted forward, to almost instantly stop right there in his tracks.

"Glacie? What the hell are you doing here?" asked Dimitri in confusion, the wrench dropping from his claws as he stared at the female Blaziken curled up very comfortably on the sofa.

"Hey Dimi, just thought I could stop by to see an old friend. If you still think of me as a friend." She was in an unusually tight suit zipped all the way up to her neck, almost like a cat suit, and it wasn't like her.

"I see you're all comfortable and helping yourself to my last bottle of Whisky, so I might as well be hospitable."

"You ever thought about joining us again? I mean the new Leafeon's good. And cute too, heh heh. But we could always do with more help. You're drawing the short straw if you're planning on being a technician for the rest of your life."

"So that's the reason you're here? Anyway the technician thing is just your opinion, and I wasn't made for a thug's life."

"Come on you constant downer, it's not like we're doing bad things. And you seem unusually down today, so what's the deal?"

"Women problems." Dimitri replied with a slow sigh.

"So why don't you tell me and I might be able to help you out? After all, I am a woman."

"Woman, you're more like a gossip monster."

"Yeah real funny, don't go changing the subject you started. And leave the rebutting to the pros."

"Alright fine. I've known this Gardevoir for a couple of days and I think I'm in love."

"It's not love. You're only in love with the idea that you're in love, but if that's what you want, go ahead." Glacie said, almost uncaringly.

"What do you mean it's not love? Are you telling me that's not what I'm feeling?"

"It's something you probably won't understand. Being in love with someone is different. How well do you know this person anyway? Her favourite colour? Her favourite food? What are her hobbies? Do you know anything which you may have in common?"

Dimitri looked down, realizing his love was somewhat of a fantasy. Those simple questions had stumped him.

"You may be right, but you don't have to stab me with it."

"It's just the truth, but there's the problem. How can you get so close with her if you don't even know her? Which proves my point. And one more thing. In a Gardevoir's eyes everyone's a bastard, but who's less of a bastard will decide who's her friend."

"So she thinks I'm a bastard? Haha." Dimitri replied with some surprise and amusement.

"We're all bastards, some just less then others."

What Glacie had said made a lot of sense, and he had to know more about Ami if he even hoped to become her friend.

"By the way, what's her name?"

"Amirtha."

Glacie's eyes widened, a frown developed between her eyebrows.

"I'm going to let you in on something. Don't get mixed up with her. She's already belongs to someone else, owned, if you will. So just forget about her."

"I can't leave her. Besides, I'm already too mixed up in this mess to turn away."

"As long as you don't get in the way. Hanzael's my job. He's the guy who holds more shares in the label you work for than anyone else. And remind me if you've gotten any better in physical combat."

"I thought Durai was the silent partner."

"Yes and no. Hanzael was too hot on the list so he changed his alias. There are people who're hunting Hanzael and Durai at the same time but not knowing they're actually the same guy. Pretty stupid if you ask me, but he's probably going to change his name again now that his current alias's also high on the list."

Dimitri resented this kingpin, he knew illegal slavery still happened but had never come across any cases himself. Maybe it was pure stupidity that crossed his mind, but he wanted to save Ami. Dimitri fell into deep thoughts, pondering how to take him down. Even if he was a haphazard romantic with no chance in hell, he could at least try to save her.

"Dimitri?" Glacie said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"I know that look. It's that same look you had on your face three years ago when you went out to play hero, and came back with a communited radial fracture, a distal radial fracture, an intertrochanteric fracture, a femoral fracture, two dislocations, eleven broken ribs and five skull fractures." Glacie stated as if it was nothing.

Dimitri remembered too well, the screws and splints he had to insert into his bones and the three-month rehabilitation after that incident, but it was different this time. He wasn't the same stupid and naive Breloom he was back then.

"Glacie, I have a request." There was a flame in Dimitri's eyes that burned to make a difference. "Leave this to me … please?"

Glacie sighed, then nodded. "Not that I care. Just try not to end up losing an arm or something like that this time. I'll be there to finish my job in another two days, so you'll have till about midnight. I assume you're coming back?"

"Take the money for all I care, I'm not going back. I want to do this … I need to."

"She must really mean something to you for you to go so far just for her. But I hope you know what you're doing, Dimi."

As Glacie departed with the whiskey bottle in her claws she looked over her shoulder for a last time, as if she knew he wouldn't be coming back.

"Good luck, Cruz Necro. And don't forget your guns."

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_**End Message**_ - I hope you enjoy this chapter, and its worth the wait ^_^ please remember to leave comments and feedback if you have enjoyed it, or even if you haven't. The next chapter will be up in a few days. Thank you for the time ou have taken to read this.


	3. Chapter 3

There where a few questions which I would like to answer from the comments left to me. In regards to my writing speed there's no way I can do a chapter in 3-4 days, these chapters and the whole story is written out first of all, which then are returned to, to be polished up. As soon as the 1st chapter is polished, its then released. Thus in turn I only need to polish and release once finalized. Work is taxing at over 45 hours per week.

The other issue I am addressing is Glacie, who is a Cameo character from a friends story. She is not a Glacion as the icy name may suggest and is a Blaziken. I hope this has helped clear that factor up and yes she will be in this story some more.

The final question regarding Dimitri's past life will be left loose, and there will be some loose ends which you will come across which I have deliberately left as they are not relevant to this story, and there shall be a follow up 5-10 chapter story at a later date. These loose ends are designed to set up the next mini series, but don't worry as this particular story is complete.

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_**Chapter 3**_

"**A long farewell to all my greatness" - Shakespeare**

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0905hrs, 13 February 2010, Saturday

She was late, but what was five minutes? And it seemed normal for stars to be, as they put it, fashionably late. A long black limousine pulled up by the stone steps where he was waiting. The stairs had rows of flowers arranged to either sides, consisting of almost every colour the eye could see, it was one of the most beautiful hotels he had stayed at.

The tinted window rolled slowly down with a buzzing sound, allowing Dimitri just enough to see the passenger's eyes as they peered out. It was Ami's eyes, and he guessed it was quite routine for her to be secretive when she was so famous, or fans would have begun swarming her limo like a pack of starved Mightyenas and a Rattata.

Dimitri's equipment had already been loaded onto the coach to be sent to the next hotel in Violet City, so it would be just him and Ami. He was finding it hard to meet her eye to eye, after what she had to do last night, even though she said it wouldn't bother her. Dimitri knew he had less than two days to kill Durai, but how would he kill someone he had never even met, or seen for that matter? He couldn't let Ami catch his thoughts and intentions though, and the Breloom found himself thinking about the Gardevoir and her voice.

He skipped off the stone steps and his claws slipped around the handle, pulling back the car door. He slipped his legs in and quickly slammed the door shut.

He wasn't sure of what to expect, but he wasn't prepared for what he did see. The seats were padded with laced pink heart shaped cushions, very girlish in fact, and his eyes subconsciously explored. There was every little convenience a girl could want, a mini screen attached to ceiling, miniature flower ornaments, even a built in wine storage and a cooler box. Needless to say it was his first time in a limo, and his reaction inspired a small chuckle from Ami.

He focused on Ami as she slumped back in her chair. There was a slight jerk as the car started moving, making off to Violet city, which was a four-hour drive away. She wore a green crop top with a matching miniskirt, her legs very exposed. He avoided attention to her body, as he would much prefer to remain a gentleman.

"What do you think of my private limo, nice way to travel huh?" She asked with a certain ring to her voice, as if she was somewhat excited.

"It's rather lovely … and very femininely inspired. Haha."

"It's kinda rude of me not to ask, but would you like a drink?"

Dimitri nodded. He was a little thirsty.

Ami took two wine glasses, passing one over to him, and Dimitri casually accepted it. He was thinking more along the lines of water, but a drink's still a drink. Ami placed a corkscrew over the bottle to open it, and the way she was struggling it was almost amusing and cute at the same time. Dimitri thought she was used to others doing it for her.

Her hand slipped and the corkscrew glanced off the mouth of the bottle, cutting into her left arm. She let go of the bottle with a yelp as it dropped to the seat, Dimitri immediately lunged sideways, examining her arm as he pulled out a small handkerchief and pressed it over her cut. She burst out in giggles.

"Dimi, it's sweet that you're worrying about me, but it's kind of funny how protective you are. It's not going to hinder me, so relax OK? You're more worried about me than I am of myself."

"It may be small, but if you're hurt, you're still hurt no matter how small it is." Dimitri gently wrapped the handkerchief around her arm tying a small reef knot to hold it in place.

Dimitri took the corkscrew from her hand and picked up the bottle, making quick work of removing the cork while she watched him with interest. He fascinated her, and his warm nature took her, she thought it was absolute that people hid their ulterior motives, to gain something they wanted, but he was different, all she could sense was the conviction of his actions. He filled her glass of the blue wine, holding a fruity aroma that was rather nice. She moved a little closer to him, gently edging a bit at a time. She took the bottle from his claws and poured him a glass to repay the favour, full to the brim. Dimitri laughed, was she trying to get him merry or drunk?

Ami moved even closer, and her thighs touched his. Dimi knew there was no way he could hide from her how nervous he was getting, he was definitely getting hot under the collar.

She offered him a sip from her own glass, he found it a little romantic and mirrored her to give her a sip of his own. Her lips touched the smooth glass, letting him tilt it into her awaiting mouth. Ami moved forward, leaning towards him as he felt his heart beginning to race like it did the other day. Those lips almost sparkled.

Then it came, her lips locked with his as her arms came to fold around his neck, Dimitri was uncertain how to react but followed his instincts, letting his own arms slide under hers to hold her close.

Ami could feel the rush, she was beginning to loose herself in his embrace. She pushed her breasts upon his chest, feeling his heartbeat thundering against her breasts, it was almost comical for a guy to be so nervous, but yet so adorable.

Her lips smothered her passion onto his submissive lips, and slipped her tongue in. The euphoria was so high her dormant sexual needs triggered like a bullet. She hadn't felt this sexual fire for someone ever before.

They continued kissing for a while, not breaking from each other.

1002hrs, 13 February 2010, Saturday

Dimitri wondered while locked in his bliss, if this was the start of their relationship.

Ami hesitantly parted from his lips with a small smacking sound. Most of this journey she wanted to express herself verbally as well as physically, even though she could read everything from him, it was a one way thing and there were things she needed and wanted.

"Dimi, I used to be afraid, but I see things differently now. I want you as my boyfriend, I want you as my Valentine, and I want to share something with you as lovers."

The Breloom was a little confused, they had already kissed and accepted each other, and he had a blank expression to his face. "What do you mean? I wouldn't mind, I would love sharing our glasses and plates, if that's what you mean. It would be romantic."

She giggled, he really was so clueless and innocent in romantic affairs.

"That's not what I meant. I was referring to sex."

Dimitri's heart rate suddenly rocketed faster then it already was. Ami was surprised at his emotional response, and unfortunately for him Ami picked up straight away that he was a virgin, and felt a little guilt that she was asking for his virginity. His nervous reactions were arousing her in a strange way, and she wanted to play on this, she wanted to be in control for once.

"Wow Dimi, I had absolutely no idea that you're a virgin. You have no experience at all have you?"

Dimitri hung his head awkwardly, wondering if he had just blown his chances with their new relationship. "I'm sorry. Is that bad?"

The Gardevoir just glanced at him, trying not to laugh.

"That's very bad. That's very bad you have no experience at all, Dimi."

Dimitri was feeling uncomfortable, and Ami was enjoying this a little too much.

"How long do you think you will last, Dimi?"

"I don't know Ami, I wasn't expecting things to go this fast. I was so happy kissing, I never gave sex a real thought."

Her hand touched his chest and she ran it gently down, sliding past his stomach, and Dimitri grabbed her hand with his tail.

"Ami, I'm sorry … not like this. It's just that I don't want to do this now. I want to spend more time with you. Get to know you more."

Ami understood but it still hurt to be rejected. Her angst suddenly roared, she really wanted him now, like 'playing hard to get'.

"Come on, Dimi, I know you like me. I know you want to fuck me."

"I'm sorry, I just can't."

"I want it now Dimi, for fuck's sake! Screw my cunt!"

She was beginning to loose her composure, a side of her he hadn't seen before. He thought this was like some spoilt rock-star ranting, not having their way. Before he realised that his mind was being read, it was a little too late.

"Fuck Dimi, is that what you think I am? A spoilt little fuck?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

"You bastard, how could you hurt me so bad and have the nerve to think I'm some spoilt bitch?"

Dimitri knew he should stay quiet, there was probably nothing he could do to rectify the situation. She wasn't going to listen to him or any reason, and worse, he had ruined what could have been the start of their relationship through his own insecurity.

Ami sat in a slump, brooding over her rejection. She knew she had overreacted and Dimitri had been right about her little tantrum, but every time she had sex it was either forced or obliged under orders she couldn't refuse. This was the first time she had actually offered sex willingly.

The journey continued with a void of silence to fill the dense atmosphere. Dimitri felt he had lost her now.

1434hrs, 13 February 2010, Saturday

No words had been further exchanged since the earlier. The Limo finally slowed down rolling to a stop, pulling over outside the Imperial Hotel where he would be staying a couple of nights, an immense tower with sheets of black glass mounted from top to bottom, approximately eighty stories. Dimitri pushed the side door open, he hadn't really noticed when it had started raining as he submerged in his self pity, and stepped out sluggishly. The dark clouds descended, the rain pattering upon his skin.

"Sorry Ami, I wasn't the Breloom you wanted."

She slumped in her chair, gazing out the opposite window. She reached over and grabbed the door, slamming it close.

Dimitri suddenly felt a vice grip at the scruff of his neck, jerking him off his feet as he felt his body fall over backwards. His claws reached out to grab something for support as he plummeted, his back hitting the ground with a dull splash.

Dimitri tried to get his bearings as he gazed up. Being on the floor seemed almost normal, he was on the floor for the third time in these three days. He stared up at a colossal figure, like a monster over seven feet snarling down at him with the most burning eyes filled with malice.

Was this Durai, the one Glacie had referred to as Hanzael? He matched the profile as a Rhyperior with a muscular build, and orange plates covering his body. The Rhyperior wavered his monstrous tail, shaped off to double as a club. The two thugs watched from behind their boss, Marcel and Jason just gloated seeing Dimitri get what he deserved.

"I'm going to ask this only once, did you do anything to my property?"

His voice growled with enough power that Dimitri could feel vibrations resonating through his own bones. Dimitri shook his head. Ami flung the Limo's door open and rushed out, desperate.

"Don't kill him! He didn't do anything, I was the one who asked him out! I'll do anything you want … anything, just let him go!"

The Rhyperior ground his left foot into the ground while his other swept across the surface of the blackened tarmac, connecting brutally with Dimitri's abdomen, sending him sliding a couple of meters across the wet surface. Ami screamed while some bystanders watched, not daring to intervene.

Dimitri twitched on the ground, pressing his claws to his side, his eyes closed tight trying to endure the harsh blow he had just received, with his lower ribs broken.

Ami bore her tears, although they had their fallout, she still cared for Dimitri, he was the only one who truly cared for her. She didn't want to loose him, he was her only real friend even though she hadn't known him long. She gritted her teeth and punched her fist into the wet ground at her inability to stop this.

Marcel placed his wing to the Rhyperior's shoulder. "Hey boss, we still need him, no one has his expertise. If you kill him I don't think we can get both a pyrotechnist and a effects technician overnight."

The Rhyperior's eyes shifted to the Zubat with a venomous gaze, before Marcel knew what was happening he was on the floor holding his dislocated jaw that was flapping about.

"I already know that. Interrupt me again and you die."

The Rhyperior grabbed Ami by a handful of her green hair, forcing her to her feet as he pointed to himself. He shook her as she cried, holding onto the hand that was pulling at her hair.

"Listen. You will keep your mouth shut, you will turn up tomorrow, you will set everything up, and I'll let you off in one piece. If you don't, I will hunt you down, I will kill you, and I will kill her as well." Durai threw a collection card by Dimitri's feet. "Go pick up her guitars. They're at the Northwest Street music store, and bring them tomorrow to the Violet City Stadium. Don't be late."

Those were the last words Dimitri heard as his vision blurred.

1502hrs, 13 February 2010, Saturday

"Dimi! Dimi! … Come on you ass, get up!"

"Ami?" Dimitri asked as the rain slapped him into consciousness. Dimitri opened his eyes to see an unexpected face, squinting to make out her figure. "Glacie?"

"Damn, you're getting freaking heavy Dimitri. How many pizzas have you had?"

The Blaziken pulled Dimitri's arm over her shoulder as she led him up the steps to the hotel.

"Thanks Glacie, I didn't think you'll be still here."

"I kinda thought I might've gotten a shot at Hanzael if you happen to screw up, but I couldn't do anything with all those people around. You look like a Houndoom's leftovers."

Dimitri smiled as he explained what had happened while they made their way to his room.

1545hrs, 13 February 2010, Saturday

Dimitri tilted his head back into the comforting armchair, letting the foam cushions support his neck. He wondered how he would have done things differently if he had the chance, even though worrying about the past was off the point. Glacie just peered at him from across the lounge, as she held onto the collection card.

"How long are you going to stay like that? You've been shaking your head like a broken bob-head for the past thirty minutes."

"I'm such a loser. I had one chance in my whole stupid life to do something special and I screwed it up."

"Moaning like a bitch's not gonna get her running back into your arms. I'm gonna go pick up the guitars for you, so I hope you cheer up by the time I come back."

Dimitri heard the door close as he stared up at the lavender ceiling, wondering how he had gotten himself mixed up in this whole affair. He had made enemies with criminals, fallen for a rock star, been beaten up three times, and now he had to risk his life for the girl who probably wouldn't give a damn if he died. What if he wasn't strong enough to save her? Should he have left this to Glacie instead?

He knew he couldn't just let this go, regardless if she was still interested in him or not, he respected her for having gone to such extents just to save his neck. If there was any way to repay her this would be it, he made an oath to himself to save her or die trying.

1633hrs, 13 February 2010, Saturday

The door to his hotel room opened and Dimitri looked up to see Glacie with a couple of guitars in their protective cases strapped to her back. Without warning she dumped a box into Dimitri's lap.

"Careful where you throw things!" He shouted as he felt the weight collapse into his thighs, just narrowly avoiding getting his crown jewels squashed. "What's this?"

"Somebody you abandoned." Glacie said, eagerly awaiting his reaction.

He noticed the familiar tool kit, bringing a smile to him.

"La Caja!" He looked at the box he had named with his substandard command of Spanish, reminiscing about the memories the tool kit had brought. "I didn't think I would see her again. You kept this for me all this time?"

"Thought you might want it back someday. You always did have a soft spot for damsels in distress, though you're such a hopeless idiot. Don't cut yourself short yet, I'm sure there's still a part of her that wants you."

"I guess." He shrugged, grinning at her statement.

"New topic. If you're going to fight Hanzael, he likes to do this 'breakneck' thing. It's like some trademark of his. Even if you're a fighting type, you'll die if you fight him head on with your sucky hand-to-hand combat."

"That's reassuring. So what else can I do?"

"You were a Cruz Necro for a damn reason, mushroom head. You used to be some headshot even if you aren't now."

"Even if I could still shoot someone in the eye a hundred meters away with a pistol, I don't have a gun anymore."

"How about you make those guitars go boom, if you catch my drift."

"Thank you, but it's easier said than done you know. I'll have to disassemble the guitars, rework the inside, build a chamber, drill a wide barrel, then layer the interior with fire resistant metals to avoid burning it."

"Then get your ass off that chair already, mushroom head."

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_**End Notes-**_ Thanks again for reading, please leave comments, feedbacks and any questions and I will try answer them at the beginning of the next chapter


	4. Chapter 4

Hi, before I start I'd like to make it clear that the chapter that follows this will be the last chapter. I have to admit, this was a fun story to write but all good things must come to a end. On another note I have made date amendments to the previous chapters and also this chapter to reflect this year. I somehow ended up with last years date due to originally making rough notes and the back end of 2010, and somehow it filtered through to the story. Remember to give feedback or leave comments. I have another project on the go, and due to the lesser response of the previous chapter I have to postpone polishing the final chapter till much later unless theres greater feedback to allow me to know theres still a fair bit of interest in this piece.

**Shot Gun Love**

**~Chapter 4~**

**_"The course of true love never did run smooth"_ - Shakespeare**

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**1741hrs, 13th February 2011**

A sheet was neatly laid out on the hotel room floor, lined with screws, a small drill, along with other little parts and the guitars. The television that belonged to the room had also been disassembled, leaving a mass of electrical components scattered over the sheet. The magnets that used to be part of the television speakers were now fragmented into pieces, having had a hammer taken to them.

The hotel managers were going to have a tough day, but he guessed they would be used to it by now. Performers have been known to trash this hotel and its rooms on numerous occasions over their wild parties. He didn't care, he was more than happy to pay if it came to it, it was a lesser concern when there were far more pressing matters at hand.

Dimitri pulled down his shades as he used his blowtorch to weld the pieces of metal together. Droplets of sweat formed on his head as he worked, his spare claw flipped off a bottle cap with a pop. He brought it to his mouth, taking a large swig and letting its cool alcoholic content pour down his throat in welcoming refreshment.

The hole that ran through the neck of this particular ebony Gibson had to be widened and fitted with a metal tube, there was so much work required all under a day. Dimitri was left to his devices as he continued long into the night.

**1146hrs, 14th February 2011**

Dimitri awoke to the sounds of car horns coming from some commotion down below in the streets. His head lazily turned to the clock to see the time, his eyes widening with a rapid motion.

"Damn …"

He hadn't intended for the mental exhaustion of the previous nights work to have taken this much of a toll on him, it'd obviously caused him to sleep a little longer than he would have liked. On the upside he had completed the work on the guitars last night, just lacking one or two things he planned to pick up on route. The Ebony Gibson could now shoot rounds of magnetic rock, and the case itself had been converted into a rocket launcher, but with the limited materials it was only good for one shot. Dimitri also had a surprise with the second guitar, it definitely was his ace in the hole. He had managed to mix the kitchen detergents into a flammable liquid, which was now utilised as fuel for the flame throwing mechanism he had built into Ami's Fender strat. Without knowing accurately the energy consumption, he could only make a rough estimate on the time he had with it. He couldn't give a damn if Ami did end up hating him for wrecking the guitars, it was a small price to pay, besides it wasn't like she would want to get with him after last night.

He raised himself off the floor with the aid of his tail, the light from the window let scattered beams through the cracks between the blind slats. It did seem rather nice out there than the gloomy weather the previous night and pleasingly invigorating. His tail swooped across the carpeted floor, taking hold of the beautiful black Gibson that shined with its fine coat of lacquer. He probed his workmanship as the light caught its ebony finish, looking like it was nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing that differed was the hole running down the neck, which was larger now to accommodate the rounds.

Dimitri set aside the new weaponry, leaning against the couch as he made his way to the kitchen, he was still fairly groggy and needed some strong coffee. No doubt this would be an extensively taxing day. There was still a little to do before he would be all set, on top of which he was in desperate need of a shower.

**1339hrs, 14th February 2011**

Two guards lay on the floor, tied and gagged with cables near Glacie's feet, one squirming while the other lay out cold. The Blaziken stood in contemplation as she observed the security monitors. If Dimitri was going to do this, he would need more than luck on his side. Taking over the room should eliminate the risk of exterior interference and buy Dimitri enough time to get the job done.

Glacie scanned the monitors, the private rooms' security cameras were a great help. She waited a little longer to assess the arrangements, knowing everything would give her more advantage in combat if it came down to her saving Dimitri's ass. It wasn't going to be easy and there was no denying that. Durai had two bodyguards with him.

"Well, what have we here?"

She smiled as the two bodyguards left the room. Glacie's eyes shifted across to a secondary monitor. Durai was definitely left unintended. The chance was too good to pass up.

"Sorry Dimitri, but I'm moving in."

She turned around just as a security guard walked in with three cups of coffee on a tray. He looked around, seeing his colleagues planted on the floor as she gave him a smile that said "oops".

The Flareon suddenly let go of the tray, coffee spilling across the floor and made a hasty move for his sidearm as his tie flapped. Glacie's foot drove hard into the ground, lunging forward and grabbing the Flareon by his wrist. He flinched as his wrist twisted away from the gun and Glacie grinned, just as the Flareon swung his tail around. Glacie ducked just in time as he narrowly missed her, letting go of his wrist.

He reached down, drawing his gun only to find he was a fraction too late as a foot connected with his face. The Blaziken leaned back and pulled her arm away to follow up with an uppercut, her fist trailing in flames, her burning knuckles catching him clean on the chin and off his feet, out into the corridor as he landed with on his back out cold.

She smiled, comically blowing out the flames on her claws.

"I guess that's a warm up."

**1352hrs, 14th February 2011**

Dimitri was trying to choose a coat at a store close to where he would have to meet Durai. It had been a long afternoon shopping while lugging the guitars with him. He knew he should have left them behind, but he hadn't accounted for his current physical state. It had seemed like a good idea at the time as the concert would be just three blocks away from this store.

Every part of the store screamed upper class. The porcelain mosaics, sterling silver chandeliers, and roman style pillars. Dimitri had never bothered with things such as clothes, however knowing if it was going to be his one and only purchase he might ever make, he wanted to buy something stylish. How often would anyone go out to buy a coat? Not very often, he imagined.

Dimitri looked as he walked up to the mirror, the silver overcoat that dropped to his ankles. It looked like something a rock star would wear to a concert. Though he had to admit, it did wonders for his overall image.

"It really suits you well, sir. Would you like to go with that one?" The cute Azumarill shop assistant commented.

"Yeah I know, hehe. I'll take it." It was very bling but he didn't care. It suited him rather well and it was good enough to conceal the car battery he was about to attach to his back in a few moments. He handed her a plastic card as she skipped off in her blue frilly frock.

"I'll be right back, sir. Would you like it wrapped?"

"No. That's fine, Miss, I'll wear it out."

She smiled before bouncing to the cash register. He never imagined how shopping for small luxuries could be so unwinding, although he wasn't about to turn this into a trend of wasting money. The final thing he needed now was something to power up the two guitars and the case, and that would be a car battery, though it was heavy it should do just fine.

"Here's your card, sir. Please sign this receipt to approve payment."

The Breloom smiled, taking the pen and receipt, as he scribbled his signature. It was strange but he felt like a star signing an autograph with all the get up he had on and those guitars. She took the receipt, handing his card back with a delightful smile.

"Thank you, sir. Please do come again." She said energetically, as he made his way out of the shop.

"If I'm still around, maybe." He laughed.

**1414hrs, 14th February 2011**

Two slender legs walked elegantly, with stockings all the way up to her thighs, revealing her legs up to near her rear, with a black miniskirt barely covering her lowers. Her sleeveless arm reached up, knocking harshly on the door.

"Complimentary maid service."

Her claw pushed open the door, Durai himself sitting in a chair neatly situated towards the centre, along with his lackeys to either sides, a Seviper, a Zubat, and a passed out Snorlax in the corner. The others must have arrived before she had arrived.

The Zubat frowned, staring at the seductive female maid as she entered, such a tight attire with her white and black top. Walking with a swagger of confidence, the Blaziken strolled right up to Durai with a cheeky smile, placing her claws on his knees as she bent over. She knew she was too late and Durai wasn't alone anymore, but she still had the element of surprise.

"Mr Durai, my boss asked me to give you any service on the menu, if you know what I mean."

Durai smiled in a little amusement but most definitely taking a shine to her audacity and lack of fear. His large tail swished around, taking her by her waist and drawing her into his lap.

"Are you on the menu?" He replied in curious tone, staring her up and down.

"Could I be?" She smiled, chewing her lips and gently leaning forward.

Glacie had come geared up with a dagger, but it was too risky to take him out at this point with his men here, even though she could take out Durai right now his men could just as easily do the same.

This was most definitely not the time to take him out, but nonetheless a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation while his mouth was still flapping. If she could plant a bug, she could monitor his activities and devise another plan that would give her leverage. She felt his strong fingers grasp into her thigh, as she let out a gasp. For some reason it did surprisingly excite her.

"Wow, so forward sir."

She knew at that point if his hand was to ride up her thighs her cover would be blown, she had a dagger strapped to the front of her crotch.

"There're so many people here, how about an after-concert party? Just you and me and your bed."

"You smell good, just like the other two did. Every bit as delicious as you are, and both very dead."

Glacie's eyes widened at his words, she was shocked he was onto her this quick, but how? Was it really her scent? Durai's arm slid up her skirt without giving her time to react, with one flick unclipping the dagger and twisting it around under her skirt. Glacie felt the sharp tip pressed against her nether region.

"You wanted to have some fun, bitch? So how about you and I play a game? If you make any sudden movements I'll cut you right here and you're a fire type so I'd give you … 2 minutes tops before you bleed to death. Sounds interesting doesn't it?"

The overgrown rock was right, Glacie thought, he had obviously done his homework on other species.

"Who sent you?"

Durai pressed the dagger so it pierced through the fabrics of her underwear, dangerously close to breaking her intimate flesh. Glacie knew she was pretty screwed now, he would probably kill her regardless of her answer.

"Don't want to talk? It doesn't matter, it's not my style anyway. Tie her to that pillar."

The Zubat moved in quickly, grabbing hold of her wrists as he forced her arms behind her back. "Get up, slut."

"Don't rough her up too much, Marcel. I want a piece of her in that after-concert party she promised, heh. And make arrangements to dispose of her, I want to get rid of her quick once I've had my fun."

Glacie smiled and without warning spat onto Durai's face.

"I don't fuck pigs."

The Rhyperior wiped her saliva from his face and slapped Glacie in return. She felt a small trickle of blood slither down the side of her mouth, and he abruptly forced his other hand up her skirt to take a good hold of her butt cheek, giving a couple of firm squeezes.

"Strong and toned, a first-rate assassin huh? No. A good assassin wouldn't have wasted her time trying to seduce me. You're second-rate. Take this bitch away, I'm going to enjoy her later."

Durai let go of her tush and withdrew his hand, pleased with his catch. The Seviper slithered across the room to Durai, carrying some kind of telecom device from what Glacie could tell while Marcel dragged her off.

"It'sss him sssir." The Seviper said in a hiss, presenting the small unit to his boss. Durai took it and placed it on the armrest, pushing the button to place the call on loudspeaker.

"Johto overlord Durai."

"Yes master." Durai replied with respect, which he never really showed any other time.

While Glacie was being tied she never guessed who this was, regardless of this he seemed to have some kind of hold on Durai. She would have never made the assumption that there was someone more powerful pulling the strings.

"I need more funding from your region, the Hoenn and Kanto overlords have sent twice the contribution you have this year."

"I'm sorry, but we have been having problems of late. The odd straight city won't be bought out, and on top of that there's another syndicate trying to muscle in and raid my warehouses."

"You and your Rhydon shit, unless you want me to come in person to deal with you I suggest you do yourself a favour and wire me an additional two billion."

"No sir, it's fine. I'll have the funds for you, so there's no need to come down. I just need a little more time, I've got it all under control."

"You have nothing under control, Durai. Kill that bitch of yours, she's served her purpose. Her death will triple record sales. And this is not your choice to make, Durai."

The com went dead.

"I need to punish that bitch for her outburst when I put that bastard Dimitri in his place." Durai pondered a moment before turning to his head to the Seviper. "I see the way you've been looking at Ami. Go to her room, and tell her I sent you."

The Seviper couldn't believe his luck as he nodded, taking the telecom device.

"Do what you want with her but remember, she has a concert so I don't want to see a single bruise on her body."

"Yesss sssir." The crude creature slithered his way to the exit.

"Marcel, Ami's going to have an unfortunate little mishap during the concert. You know what to do. Also make sure the shipment of pokeballs arrives on time after the concert and there's no hiccups."

"Leave it to me, I'll have it sorted before the concert."

Glacie knew how ruthless Durai was, but seeing it for the first time, it sickened her. It was pretty cold how he was going to have a goon rape Ami, then have her go out on stage to meet her end. As for pokeballs they were banned 30 years ago when pokemon won under the equal opportunities act and gained freedom, ending the rain of forced battles. Something far greater was going on.

**1534hrs, 14th February 2011**

Dimitri had just bought his battery and gotten everything he needed. He had secured it to his hip with an extension cord, when he was stupid enough to forget to buy a belt earlier and had only realized while he was buying the battery. Needless to say, the extension cords were the only things that they had, but that did the trick. It was rather uncomfortable but he got used to it fast enough.

The Breloom looked ahead at the giant stadium, it towered over the buildings in its mammoth glory, the others were probably waiting for him to get there and work his magic with the rest of the rig, but he had his own kind of fireworks in mind. There was no question this would be a tough situation, and with the limits of his makeshift weaponry, once things started to roll it would only be a matter of time before the battery went flat.

He walked along the concrete slabs on the pavements, counting the intersections where the slabs were joined, maybe it was relaxing, maybe it was anxiety, or probably a mixture of both.

He passed a couple of streets before he finally made it to the rear entrance of the stadium. It was probably going to be Ami's biggest night as it housed a staggering hundred and twenty thousand spectators, more than double the people who had been at the Blackthorn Palace Theatre. The time had come. His knuckles clenched as he extended his arm, bringing it to land hard on the surface of the metal door with a few solid knocks.

A slit in the door slid open as two eyes peered out.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi all, I hope you enjoy the last chapter in the first of this series, and I hope to catch you for the next 5 chapter new story follow up, but this chapter wraps up the current affair. Please leave reviews and comments. Thanks for the support and encouragement.

**Lover's Sonata**

_**Chapter 5**_

"**Bring out yer dead" - Monty Python**

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1542hrs, 14 February 2010, Sunday

"Whaddaya want?" Came a rather rugged urban dialect from behind the door.

"I'm here for work. Here's my pass."

Dimitri pulled out a little card indicating he worked for Davis. A moment later he heard metal bolts shifting behind the frame as the bulky Machoke shoved the door open, granting the Breloom entrance.

"Da boss is busy, you best have a good excuse to interrupt him G!"

His accent was off-putting, the Machoke was probably a thug Durai hired. Dimitri followed the instructions of the doorman, as he made his way to the flight of stairs. His claws were feeling jittery, but then again how many people would stand up to someone else twice as strong, and twice as huge?

"Get a hold of yourself Dimitri. It's not like the first time you shot up the bad guys." He muttered to himself, in a little frustration.

It had been awhile since he had used a gun, or even a custom thing like those guitars. There was also no way to know if they worked as he hadn't tested them, there was still a risk that one might shock him, or worse, explode in his arms.

He made his way up a flight of stairs to the ground floor, where the stadium was, fairly vast with many backrooms that were sectioned off, this area being one. Dimitri decided to forgo the formalities of knocking, pushed the door open to a large room or a small hall, probably seventy by seventy feet if his calculations were right. The overhead tube lighting ran along the ceiling, and the room had a center clearing with tables and sofas littering the sides, red carpet lining the entire floor.

"Ahhh, Dimitri my boy, I'm so glad you made it."

The Rhyperior sat on an ornamental chair with solid gold trimmings, rather Egyptian in design. Two nude Lopunnys were with him, each knelt on one knee, and just as a roman emperor would have been one of the Lopunnys was feeding him grapes while the other caressed the rocky plates upon his chest.

Dimitri cautiously approached, a strange feeling coming over him as if his strength was slowly leaving him just by being in Durai's presence. He gritted his teeth, deciding to pay no attention to it. It was just a little anxiety, he told himself.

"Yes, I do have an important job." Dimitri replied, taking a moment to scout the room.

Jason was to his left, forty feet away, Marcel was in the corner, and to his right a dangerously obese Snorlax crashed out on the floor. No doubt the fat thing could do some heavy damage if he got anywhere close. A little further right was a bizarre looking Buizel with two symmetrical scars along his face, wearing an out of fashion bowler hat and white cuffs. The creature had black leather leg straps and a number of throwing knives mounted to it, which were probably his weapon of choice. It seemed Durai had less guards than Dimitri had expected, but there weren't any questions around the matter that these were pretty hardcore and more than probable his personal choices.

Then a surprising sight caught his attention, Glacie suspended against the pillar in the corner. He wondered what the hell she was doing there, but as long as no one knew they were associates he might still have the element of surprise. She seemed a little worn and roughed up. She must had been caught trying to do something, he couldn't be certain of her condition but it was a given she was unconscious.

The door opened as the scent of cigar slowly filled the room. A Seviper slithered into the room with a large cigar in his mouth, dragging Ami along with a leash on the collar around her neck. Now there were a total of six, including Durai himself. Durai at this moment was way too preoccupied by his two maids. The shot was completely open but he couldn't take the chance in case the Lopunnys were hit. His accuracy was fine, but it was down to whether the alignment was off by a millimeter or so. A stray bullet could hit those Lopunnys.

"Anything you have seen or heard remains within these four walls, I hope that's clear. Now what do you want, Dimitri? Can't you see the boss is busy? You outta get down rigging the shit before the concert." Jason asked with an irritated look on his face.

Now Dimitri knew who he wanted to smoke first. He stared at Marcel as he grabbed the metal stick mounted to the guitar. He had once heard Ami refer to it as a tremolo, but trigger was good enough for him.

"Yes, everything I have seen and heard will remain within these four walls."

Dimitri pulled back the tremolo as bullets flustered out in rapid succession, drawing spurts of blood from his back, like a red water sprinkler system right out of the Zubat. Marcel collapsed face first with a small thud, staring at Dimitri in shock, most of his spinal column severed and embedded with magnetic rocks.

"What the hell was that … fuck!"

Jason made a desperate dash for cover, and Dimitri pivoted, the magnetic rounds burst out, the impact as the hammer hit the bullet powerful enough to blow the rocks out with enough force to tear through the Scyther's tough skin, his leg coming away mid-flight as it spiraled blood. Jason plummeted to the ground, his final vision as he turned to face Dimitri a gaping hole drilled into the base of the guitar.

The two Lopunnys screamed in shock and fear, all the violence and bloodshed, they were quick to make a run for the door, crying and covering their heads. Ami was in a state of shock herself. Was this really the Dimitri she knew? All this time what she had assumed to be a gentle fantasist, she would have never imagined him to be capable of this. Was death going to be the fate of her stupid friend? Why did he think he could even stand up to these monsters? She stood next to the Seviper, feeling her heart thumping like a ram against her ribs.

Durai stood up and knocked over his chair, shouting to the Snorlax. "Get up you fat fuck! What are the rest of you doing, kill that bastard!"

Something was going seriously wrong. One of the pressurized fuel canisters of the flamethrower was leaking or something. Strands of flames swept out and began regulating like serpents, in a large circle around him. He had no time to think of a logical reason in the heat of the battle, but this probably only fortified his defense provided the guitar didn't explode.

Dimitri wondered why he was getting so weak and so fast. It was fair enough that he was out of practice but this was so overwhelming, it was taking him too much strength to keep up with all this and the fight had only just begun. Dimitri couldn't place his finger on it but the weight of the guitars and the car battery combined wasn't helping.

"What the hell was that?" The Rhyperior glared at Dimitri, sweeping him up and down with his gaze.

The Buizel was stalking Dimitri while keeping a fair distance, his eyes squinted as he observed the Breloom.

The Seviper was quick to draw his machine pistol as he forced the trigger back, letting the bullets loose, while the Buizel snatched up a dagger from his thigh, and flicked it out with a quick snap of his wrists.

Dimitri knew it was time to play his trump card, and his tail quickly swung up, striking across the Fender's strings strapped to his back. A strange blue wave resonated almost visibly, which gave off a subtle effect, emitting a static sensation within the room. Dimitri estimated ten minutes before the battery would fail.

The bullets and dagger came soaring, but they began slowing in midair, before ricocheting away in the direction they had come from. Several bullets shot through the Seviper, blowing cleanly through his body and sending streaks of blood through the other side. The Buizel on the other hand was fast enough to react and was able to gracefully snatch his own dagger as it came back at him. It seemed he would be far more problematic.

Ami watched on, not knowing if this was a nightmare. Why would someone go to such an extent for someone like her? She took a few steps back from the corpse of the Seviper and avoided getting the blood on her shoes.

"You die now, boy!" The Buizel laughed.

Dimitri rethought his plan, seeing the Buizel was making an advance without any of his knives. The Breloom took careful aim, firing a few rounds at him. The creature weaved through the flames, shuffling between each round with remarkable reflexes, and suddenly took to the air, letting out a sound attack to counter Dimitri's partially sonic magnetic field.

"Take this you bitch!"

Dimitri made a quick evasion in the nick of time as the wave tore through the magnetic waves. The sonic blast crashed into the ground, cracking the flooring. It resonated outwards, rattling his body right down to the bone.

The shockwave ripped through the entire room, as cracks exploded on the walls. Ami dropped to her knees from the pressure, and let out a small whelp. Even though the attack missed its effects were apparent, the Breloom was completely shaken, leaving him wide open. The waves and flames died down around him and left only a dark circle of scorched flooring around Dimitri.

The Buizel began his decent, pulling back his arm to finish Dimitri with an airborne attack.

Somewhere, Ami was screaming.

Then as if out of nowhere the Buizel erupted into flames, letting out a horrific cry of pain as his flesh burned.

At that moment Dimitri's focus restored, as if Ami's voice had brought strength to his body. He pulled the guitar upwards, to let fly a barrage of rounds into the incoming Pokemon. His body shredded away midair as chunks of his burning flesh tore from his carcass, landing with a sickening thud. The hunk of flesh was barely recognizable, smoldering on the floor before Dimitri's feet.

The Breloom turned his head to see a smile greet him as Glacie had come to, trying to give him the thumbs up with her claws tied, before slipping out of consciousness once more.

A large Pokemon was making his way towards Dimitri, and despite the Snorlax's obese sluggish appearance it was more than capable of mass destruction. Dimitri cocked his head to the side in amusement before easing back the trigger on the guitar.

The bullets rained all over the beast, and Dimitri kept on unloading the rounds into him, but to Dimitri's surprise they were having little effect. The Snorlax's fat was absorbing the bullets' impacts before they managed to reach anywhere critical. Then the rounds stopped firing all of a sudden.

"Shit."

Dimitri discarded the guitar to the side. He had no more ammunition, and he wasn't sure how he could have been so stupid to waste so many rounds over the fight. Dimitri wanted to save the missile for Durai, but at this rate he would have nothing left for Durai. Dimitri flipped a cap off the guitar case, revealing two hidden buttons.

"Haha pipsqueak, you can't hurt me!" The Snorlax laughed with his dumb voice.

"I'm pretty sure I can. Want to try me out?" Dimitri replied, and pressed the button.

The end of the case tore off as a missile blasted towards the Snorlax, planting itself into the creature's stomach. The Snorlax groaned, looking at the small rocket half embedded in his belly.

"Got anything else, short stuff?" The Snorlax laughed at Dimitri.

"Oops, I forgot this."

He pressed the second button, and a large explosion blew through the Snorlax as his blubber and entrails splattered out, decorating the ground behind the Pokemon. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell backwards.

Dimitri had meant for a bigger explosion, but it still worked. He stared at Durai and rubbed the Snorlax's evaporated fats off his lips.

"I would never have imagined a runt like you, to be such a pain. Something tells me you have done this before. So with all that said, who do you work for?" The Rhyperior was staring at Dimitri as he made his way towards him with slow steps that caused small vibrations along the floor. He stopped ten meters from Dimitri. "So … who is it? Central Pokemon Intelligence? The Police? Maybe a mercenary? What is it?"

"No one. You just have the girl I want free, it's as simple as that." Dimitri was almost like a different person, but this was a sickening creature that stood before him after all. "I'm just an idiot who wants to play hero. So are we ready then?"

"Is that so?" Durai raised his enormous fists. "So shall we tango, my boy? Or do you prefer salsa?"

"Neither. I prefer Carinosa."

Dimitri dropped the Gibson case and brought his tail to remove the Fender from his back and unclip the battery.

Dimitri quickly circled the battle hardened Rhyperior with rapid footwork, this was going to be difficult, there was no way his fighting would match up to the Rhyperior's overall strength, even if he did have the species advantage over ground types. Dimitri had never bothered with any close combat, and there was no point taking the beast head on, he had to think of how to win fast and without going blow for blow. But there wasn't an option now, it was unavoidable. There had to be a way of beating him. Dimitri knew he had a speed advantage that he had failed to utilize on those previous occasions, being so out of practice, but he had to focus this time.

Dimitri skidded, altering lunges at Durai with a flurry of ridiculously high speed attacks. Though they lacked the punch other Brelooms did, his claws were still fairly sharp. Dimitri's claws stretched three meters to his range, but the Rhyperior deflected several strikes while the others that did connect seemed not to affect him in the slightest. Durai was growing further angered as he took every single blow to realize there was no need to parry them.

Durai pivoted on his foot, letting his tail whip Dimitri off his feet and through a few chairs and tables.

Dimitri pushed the wood fragments aside under which he ended up half buried and staggered to his feet. He was little stunned as he shook his head to regain composure.

Dimitri caught sight of the tail swinging around again just in time to duck, a gust swished over his head as he thrust to the side, narrowly evading a punch that followed up. It missed his chest, but it wasn't his chest that Durai had struck at.

The Breloom dangled by his own tail, suspended by the Rhyperior's grip. Dimitri flung another few futile strikes, but it brought not even a flinch to the beast. He suddenly felt his body swung in a half circle and launched like a missile, sent several meters into the wall with enough force to break off the plastering as his helpless body bounced off it.

Durai clasped his hands together, sending a shockwave along the ground. Something was wrong, the power that was coming from him was immense. Ami shook her head, knowing what this meant. She had only seen her master use this attack once and it had killed instantly. She had heard him refer to it as the Rock Wrecker.

Ami watched in fear, wanting Dimitri to run, wanting him to forget about her.

"Run you idiot! Forget about me!"

Dimitri didn't reply, and Ami held her hands to her face. It was her fault all this had happened. It was her fault she had taken him into her limo yesterday. And it was her fault he would die today.

"Dimitri stop! Just get out …"

A rock cluster began forming within Durai's hands, growing larger little by little.

There wasn't much time to think. Dimitri knew he could get a few valuable strikes in while the Rhyperior was open building his attack. He knelt down, then thrust with his legs, using his hip to throw more force behind his left leg, his clawed foot kicking his large opponent in the chest, and the momentum from that thrust spinning his body to bring his tail around and slamming into the Rhyperior's chest.

As soon as Dimitri fell back down he leapt away from Durai to a couch, as he kept an eye on the forming attack. Finally the rock within the palms of the Rhyperior had become a large boulder the size of himself. He was laughing, hysterically laughing. Dimitri saw it coming as he dived over a couch.

The huge boulder hit the ground just a couple of feet before the couch, and it exploded, flattening the tables and shredding through the couch, which absorbed some of the damage but was nowhere near enough. It blasted Dimitri back five meters into a wall as his body bounced and rolled along the floor to a stop.

Durai let out a small cry as an orange plate on his chest cracked and tumbled to the ground. Durai didn't want to waste time, he was exhausted after the attack, and couldn't use any other abilities until he had time to recover. He walked up to the vulnerable Breloom to finish it, as he reached down, grabbing Dimitri by the throat, and lifted him to his level. He began to tighten his clasp around his neck, slowly crushing his throat. There was no more fight left in Dimitri's body to even struggle, and blood was pouring out of his mouth like water.

Ami couldn't bear to loose her only friend, after what he had done to save her, and what she just realized, her first love. With a final desperation she could only scream.

"DIMITRIIIIII!"

Her powerful voice fell upon his ears as his eyes shot open.

Durai gasped, followed by a small grunt.

The Rhyperior looked down, the tip of Dimitri's tail lodged partly in his chest, the toxic spores in his tail which was a trait of his species, entered Durai's blood stream directly through his heart. The effects came almost instantly, and Dimitri's strategy from the start had paid off, not as well as he had hoped, but it still worked in the end.

Durai was at a loss of words, he had been so distracted with Dimitri's physical weakness, so much that he had failed to notice that every attack had struck the same plate on his chest, and he had only made it easier for Dimitri ignoring his attacks. Then the plate had broken, leaving the flaw in his defense, the only part of his body that he could penetrate.

"You faked … passing out?" The Rhyperior asked, his wide eyes turning a pale grey.

"Not really. I really did pass out for a moment. Until I heard Ami calling." Dimitri replied, with neither anger nor sadness in his voice.

The grip around Dimitri's neck loosened enough for him to escape, and staggered as he touched down. He looked at the Rhyperior a final time before retracting his tail from his chest, watching powerful spurts of blood bursting out under the high pressure of his heart.

Durai's face formed a blank, expressionlessness, his form still standing even in death.

Ami was speechless as she looked. Was this a reality that Dimitri had won? If so was he a monster no different from Durai? Blood stained the floor and walls, corpses lay like dead flies on a window screen, yet he was still alive.

The Breloom grasped at his neck, massaging it. Breathing heavily in bursts, he watched the beast fall to his knees before him, then over like a sawed oak making its descent, with a rocky crash face first into the floor. It was finally over, even with all the odds against him, he had managed somehow.

Dimitri looked over at Ami, and from what he could tell she was afraid of him. He looked away with disgrace, he did this all for her, but what good did it do him?

Dimitri walked over to Glacie, and cut his friend free. She fell to his cradled arms as her eyes opened.

"Kinda like the time I saved your sorry ass." She whispered, smiling. "You did it?"

"Sure did." He said, and Glacie's eyes closed again.

Carrying his companion to a sofa that was still intact, he cautiously placed her down, removing his tattered new coat and covered her with it, taking care with his actions. He still had a job to do and it would be awhile before anyone would come by. He needed to wire up the equipment and replace Ami's guitars, which had shredded when Durai had attacked.

And after he's done, he would be gone, and just a memory for her.

1844hrs, 14 February 2010, Sunday

Dimitri was nowhere to be found after everything was in place. Ami took a deep breath, the images of Dimitri's battle were still raging, but she had a lot of time to reflect on what transpired, and for what it was worth she realized she still needed him, as a friend, and as a lover. Now she yearned for him to be here.

Her psychic abilities scanned through the awaiting crown to just outside the football ground. It was desperate, but maybe he was the only person she wanted here to see her sing.

The time had come, and the curtains drew back, the crowd burst into ecstatic cheers.

She let her eyes probe through the countless faces, but she couldn't see him. She began to play her song and it went on like this for awhile, as she continued to search through every verse and every word till her last. As the bass guitarist and drummer made their way off stage, a tear descended down her face.

She still wanted to play another song, one from her heart, one she had yet to write, just words which were flowing into her mind. The strength of her emotions carried her voice to every creature throughout the city, of her emotions that burned for the one who she so desperately needed. Her fingers strummed in her final hopes, that he was maybe out there, and would hear her as she sang.

"In the miscellaneous lines of thoughts

Hidden in the images of refuge

Resides a syndrome we all suffer

An imbalance, an emotion pure

Mistakes stand like abrasions in the sands

Hesitation lost to moments in time

We seek that chalice in which we drink life

And all this to come, to what we call as love

Souls laced with the tenderness of cherishing

Emotions make for blindness on the tears

A greater chance lost to insecurity

One trembling wish remains, true unity

Forked paths made harder with some unseen tides

Decisions fiercer within such confines

My love never fades unlike sunset light

I'm the candle that will burn till tonight"

Ami looked up, almost expecting Dimitri to be somewhere, standing amidst the crowd, looking back at her, maybe waving. The bass guitarist and drummer had frozen in their steps halfway off stage, the crowd was silent, some crying, but none of them was who she had wanted to see. Somehow she had a feeling she would never see the one who she had loved so, ever again.

"Dimitri … please forgive me."

2235hrs, 14 February 2010, Sunday

Ami was in a state of loss and mourning, having lost her chance it felt almost as if Dimitri had died. The sorrow drove tears from her eyes, feeling a knot stuck in her throat. Her own insecurity, fears, and somewhere a little selfishness, had been her undoing.

The Gardevoir moved slowly across her patio floor. Her abilities were left useless after such an emotional display earlier. She reached down, undoing the laces of her boots, and it somehow made her think of how the laces tied and intertwined with one another. She bit down on her lip, letting the flood of tears break her dejection.

Ami kicked away the boots and ran towards her bedroom, slamming the door open, just wanting to hide under her sheltered duvet. She came to an immediate halt, realizing there was someone else in her room, the moonlight rays threw a silhouette onto the voiles that covered her four poster bed. Small tea candles were lit and littered the floor like an awkward romantic gesture.

The silhouette was remarkably similar to a Breloom, and more accurately, Dimitri. She shook her head, maybe she was seeing things from being so worn by her emotions.

"Dimitri?"

"Yes Ami, I'm here."

There was relief as she lifted her hands to rub her eyes, to dismiss any chance of this being an illusion. Had she been given this second chance, was this reality? She pinched her neck, feeling a sharp pain.

"So you heard me?"

"It was hard not to. I felt everything."

"Will you forgive me?"

"Yes."

"Want to start over, and give it another shot and we can take it slower?"

Ami lowered her hand to her bosom, pulling free a lace which held her dress together, unwinding and slackening down the centre, allowing her breasts to break away from their veiled confines, and the rest of her dress glided down her milky white body.

"I'm dreaming right?"

"No Dimi this is real, I don't want to rush you, I'll wait till your ready to make love with me"

"Then I'll be glad for us to kiss forever"

"Hey that's not what I meant"

They both started laughing, and with what Dimi knew, his sweet Ami wasn't so sweet and liked to be in control. He'd already guessed she'd be the one wearing the pants in this relationship.

"I guess I'll let you lead" He smiled with his reply

"And I guess I'll have to educate you a little more about kissing" Ami teasingly smiled with that comment, as they let their words float a mix and meet passionately.

"I think I'll learn pretty quick with a lot of your help"

His words were bolder than before, and none of the doubt he had felt that day. It felt right this time, as if there was something different. Maybe it was the lack of lust, maybe its genuine and sincere, or maybe it was just the fortitude of love.

He saw his Gardevoir step over the dress in elegant strides, reaching forth with her dainty arms, with a slow easy motion she parted the voiles and entered her rose serenaded bed. It felt magical with the voiles on all four sides, it gave the sense of a romantic enclosure for them to dwell in and be isolated from the world.

Her hands came to caress upon his chest while he reclined slowly back to rest upon the comfort of her mattress. Ami took a deep breath as her hands slowly traced around the contours of his pectoral region. Her eyes wide open, there was a charm in them he had not noticed before. She lowered herself to place the softness of her tender lips on his forehead.

"Thank you for coming to save me"

Dimitri momentarily blushed ever so slightly, before replying

"I'd do it again"

Her lips tenderly cressed his, as his tongue slid into her mouth. With subtle movements they explored each others, their tongues danced slowly, their lips sealed against one another's

She was far too good at this, her hands held his pectoral muscle, massaging it with firm squeezes and randomly tickling with her fingers. His sensitivity to her lips rising with each moment they kissed. The bliss seemed impossible but it hit with such intensity. Ami's head swam reducing her body to mild trambles. For as experienced as she thought she was, she faltered to his embrace feeling his arms sweep around her waist. Her lips glided with ease and moistness over his while the tongues gently fought, entangled with desire. She suddenly stopped pulling back, to place her head to his chest. He gently spoke out to her.

"You are amazing."

"We need to keep our relationship secret. If the other overlords were to discover it was you who killed Durai, they'll haunt us down. I can't afford to lose you now I've found you again."

"We'll make a new life together, but I need to leave tomorrow to meet an old friend."

"I don't want you to return to your old life, but I won't stop you. Just promise you'll come back."

Dimitri was about to reply and realized she had fallen asleep with those last words, He let a gentle whisper fall upon her slumbering form.

"I promise."

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_**Ending Notes - **_thats the end of this series of Shot Gun Love, the follow up maybe named something else. I have yet to choose a title. Once more thank you all for sticking with this story if you made it this far. If you enjoyed this story then check out some of my others, as Equinox Kanto is going to kick into some real action finally with chapter 3.


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